The Waning Moon
by The Blue Moon Fairy
Summary: strange things are happening at Cackles and this time, the things that go thump in the night may be more dangerous than the bats. enjoy...
1. prologue

AN/ Okays, another story from yours truly – I know that I'm meant to be updating like 3 – 4 other fics, but I really couldn't resist this one :D umm... I got the inspiration for this fic from the book The Dark Divine, I would hugely recommend reading! The characters belong to the wonderful Jill Murphy! Have fun, enjoy... and please don't forget to tell me what you thought ^_^

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**Prologue...**

_**The door was slowly opened. The demon stood before my eyes, there was no escaping the monster which lay within me. I was her and she was me – we were the same. The only difference was that one of us had a soul. Even at the end.**_

"_**It's an honour to make your acquaintance again, Mistress Broomhead," my voice was quivering and my form was shaking. The seconds silence due to her surprise at my presence seemed like hours, before the icy tones darted down my spine once more. **_

"_**I wish I could say the pleasure was mine," obviously I had not been forgiven for my interference at The Witch Training College. I had put a stop to the strange goings on then – to Hecketty, I had destroyed her creation. Now she was here, she was back. And that could only mean one thing... A new monster was worshipping the moon, and it was residing in Cackles. **_

_**Constance.**_

_**My eyes widened. The warm copper tasting liquid in my mouth seemed of little importance, my heartbeat sped up. The monster looked at me, begging me to end its torment. The decision was mine.**_

_**Was I kind, or cruel?**_

_**Was I the saviour, or the demon?**_

_**Hope, or chaos?**_

_**The knife plunged into its heart. It screamed.**_

_**I am her.**_

_**I am my very own demon.**_

_**I AM the destroyer of my soul, the becoming of a monster.**_

_**I am Constance, and I must remain constant.**_

_**And this is my story...**_

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AN/ Well, that's all for now – it will hopefully be updated soon :D This was only the prologue to the story so I apologise for the shortness of the chappie but as I said soon, my dears, soon :P

Well, gonna shush now so byyyeeesss! *waves*

BMF.


	2. The Soul Searcher

_**AN/ *peers around corner and waves* as I promised, or didn't promise... *thinks and shrugs shoulders* one of the two... here is a slightly very longer chapter ^_^ don't ask me to tell you by how many words, maths is my weakest point, English one of my strongest (er) and even that goes downhill from 12 O'clock onwards (also the fairy has a cold so mind at the moment is BLEAHHHHAAHAAAALLLLLL *does crazy wavy arm movements* *looks slightly like the cookie monster* *hands Sammi a pillow to hide behind* :) **_

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**The Soul Searcher.**

"I wish she'd slow down a bit," Maud complained as the fourth year potions class struggled to keep up with their form mistress who was effortlessly ascending the steep hill just beyond the clearing of the forest.

Mildred sighed, "So do I – I don't know how much more of this my legs can take, why we couldn't get some of the wolf's bane from the bottom of the hill I don't know."

"Come on now, girls – it's not all bad, if we didn't come this way Ethel wouldn't have lost her footing and fallen in the lake," Enid grinned accomplishedly.

"You cast a spell on her to make her fall, didn't you Enid," Maud accused.

"Maud, would I? Besides, I cast a spell on the stick that she fell on; there's a huge difference you know," Enid smiled and at hearing the held back giggles from Mildred the three girls burst out in a fit of laughter.

"Hey guys," Jadu called, waving her hand in the air as she scurried back down the hill.

"Hi Jadu," the girls welcomed the friend simultaneously. "So, how long have we got until we reach the top of Everest?" Enid asked.

"Not too far now," Jadu's face turned more serious as she asked the next question.

"Have you three noticed anything strange about Hb? It's just that... I don't know... she seems on edge, and her skin – it's far paler than usual. She looks almost," Jadu paused, "dead."

Before Enid could make a joke at the matter a recognisable voice sounded from behind them.

"keep up, girls; we don't have all day for you four to laze around, I would like to return to the academy before nightfall, and seeing that it's November we have until four," Hb glared at the three girls before shouting, "move yourselves!" with this she disappeared and materialised at the top of the hill.

"See," Jadu went on, "her skin is so pale and why before nightfall? She's never seemed fussed about the dark before."

"Eyes," Mildred spoke in hardly a whisper.

"What was that Mil?" Maud asked as the three girls stared at their friend.

"Her eyes. They were different, usually they're a dark, deep brown – they seemed black just then – you couldn't see her pupils at all," Mildred was obviously giving this great thought as she had missed literally the whole conversation that her friends were having on their way to the hill top.

"Mildred snap out of it – we're here," Maud shook her friend's arm lightly.

"Oh, right... Wolf's bane... of course," Mildred snapped out of her day dream and bent down to pick some for her basket.

_**XXX **_

"Amelia, are you sure it's safe to have her in the school?" Imogen asked concerned, "I mean, with all due respect to her, her appearance has changed lately, you know it has. I mean look at the skin, they eyes, Amelia – she's transforming, she's losing control."

"No, no she isn't; I trust Constance, and so longs as her medicine is administered daily she will be fine," Amelia paused for a moment, "besides... Davina is keeping an eye on her tonight – it's a full moon and Davina's the closest thing to a witchdoctor that we have at Cackles; like Constance's kind, her remedies and methods go back throughout the ages," Amelia seemed to be trying to convince herself rather than the gym mistress.

"Amelia – she is the ultimate predator, you know that, she stayed with Broomhead when she was younger in order to teach her control, something went wrong and so her," Imogen made two quotation signs with her index and middles fingers, "condition was not fully mastered," Imogen sighed, "what if she attacks someone?"

"You need to remember, Imogen, that her," Amelia searched for the correct phrase to use, "type, so to speak, was designed to protect the magical world from the evils which would attack it and use its magic for evil."

Before Imogen could reply, a small mumble came from the stationary cupboard and a vase came flying towards Imogen's head. She caught the vase on impulse as Davina came tumbling out of the cupboard clutching a large leather bound book which she slammed on the table with a large thud.

"Davina, what on earth is that?" Imogen asked a little intrigued if she was honest.

As Davina flicked expertly through the pages she replied, "My grandmother's book of magic's mythical beings, Constance is its greatest admiration; merely due to the rarity of her species – there can only be one living in a country at a time, and its strengths are incredible!" Davina let out a squeal of excitement at finding the correct page.

"She's worse than Fenella and Griselda," Amelia whispered to Imogen.

Imogen grinned as Davina spoke.

"It says that, the soul searcher was created by the lord as a last attempt to banish evil from the magical world, now he knew that the evil was stronger than the good and so he combined the powers of the two strongest predators and gave it the mind and soul of the angels. This predator swept the land of all evil creatures belonging to the devil and confined the devil himself to a place where rivers were pools of magma and the sun could not shine.

Struck with anger the devil decided to take revenge and gifted the creatures that dammed him with the sins of their ancestors," Davina paused as she turned the wrinkly page.

"But who were their ancestors?" Imogen asked, truly intrigued by the whole thing yet, a little doubtful of the ideas of gifting the creatures.

"The Soul Searcher's ancestors were the vampire and werewolf," Amelia explained.

"Ahem..." Davina purposely cleared her throat.

"As I was saying... the devil gave the Searchers the impatience and strength of the werewolf and the loss of control on the nights of a full moon. It says that the Soul Searcher inherited the majority of its characteristics from the vampires, however, so it has the vampire's mind, speed, thirst and form. This is why it holds magical powers – the first vampire's parents were a witch and wizard, but the child was dammed for its parent's sins."

"So Constance is one of these things?" Imogen asked already knowing her answer.

"Since she was bitten, yes," Amelia answered.

"When was she bitten?" Imogen was really curious now – she wanted to know the full story, clearly little snippets would have to suffice though.

"Ending the occurrences at The Witch Training College – there were..." Amelia paused whilst she thought, "strange happenings, the creature could not control its self and Constance was the one who went after said creature, she gave back its soul and became damned because of it," Amelia instantly stopped talking as a heavy knock came at the iron rimmed door.

Holding her gaze with the other two colleagues in the room Amelia pulled the door slowly open and took a step back at the recognition of the face.

"Chief wizard Hellibore... what, what on earth are you doing here?" Amelia asked, almost falling over the bowing Davina.

"Ahh, Miss Cackle, the river has swollen and flooded my castle – I came to my neighbours in hopes for some kindness and shelter until my home," Hellibore took a dramatic sniffle, "is inhabitable once more."

"Erm... yes, of course – you may stay in the room between my own and Constance's," Amelia smiled.

"Thank you, dear lady," Egbert replied gratefully.

"Are the students with you?" Amelia asked as she showed him to his room.

"Half term."

Meanwhile in the potions lab the students were carefully following the instructions on the board and Miss Hardbroom was sitting at her desk quietly reading her book on poisonous plants for healing.

"What do you think this potion's made for anyway?" Mildred asked.

"No idea, apparently it was a potion for Hb," Mildred signalled with her head to their potions and form mistress.

Constance's head sharply turned towards the door as a light breeze caught her face and a familiar sense raising aroma filled her nostrils. As Hb tried to gain control of her mind, within the half hour that it took the full moon rose and it became all too much for her to handle – why did the girls take so long with making potions? Constance could feel her dark brown eyes' pupils dilating to a point where her irises were no longer visible and the hunger and thirst for blood were increasing by the second.

Through the struggle for control Constance's breath and heart rate sped up to the point that was, technically beyond the point of humanly possible. The girls were all staring suspiciously as the deputy made a dash for the door and materialising into the empty hall way.

"Well," Enid said with a huge grin on her face, "if she's not staying why should we?"

Millie and Maud remained staring at her until Mildred put a final ingredient into the potion and caused their pot to, once again, explode.

**XXX**

Egbert was lying on his bed with his head pressed against the navy blue pillow when a gentle and slow knock came at the door.

"Come in!" Egbert called. His jaw dropped as he looked up from his dragon book. Constance was standing in the doorway leaning with one arm pressed against the wooden frame and her hair loose and hanging over her shoulders. The thing that really caused Egbert's jaw to drop was the deputy's attire; she was wearing elbow-length black satin gloves with a short red dress, with a long black transparent cloak, then, he saw the teeth – two brilliant white fangs which were at least twice the length of her other teeth.

"Miss Hardbroom, wha-what are you doing?" Egbert asked a little worried by the fangs in particular and let's face it; the deputy he knew wouldn't be caught dead in this outfit.

"Are you well?" he asked, wondering whether she had come down with some form of virus which was causing her to act this way. Egbert closed his eyes and within the space of his blink she was sitting beside him with her gaze fixed on his throat – precious magical blood.

As Constance leant forward Amelia shouted her name – she had been on her way to her chamber when she had noticed the red of Constance's dress in the corner of her eye.

"CONSTANCE HARDBROOM, DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

Constance's head shot up as she hissed at her headmistress and just before she went to bite Hellibore a blow dart covered in her medicine entered her neck and, once again, neutralised her bloodstream; causing her irises to return back to their ordinary shade of dark brown and her daunting fangs returned to the average human's length.

"Nice shot Davina," Amelia said warmly as she cast a spell to make a cloak appear around Constance's shoulders.

Constance shakily stood from the bed and made her way towards Amelia and Davina.

"I-I'm s-sorry Headmistress – I lost control for a second, I thought I had it but..." Constance looked back over to Egbert, "so much magic, and then there was the full moon and in just that single second I was gone – no control," She stuttered shakily turning her attention to Davina who placed a silver bracelet around her wrist.

"What does that do?" Amelia asked curiously.

"she inherited the allergies of the werewolf so silver burns the creature inside of her when it becomes too close to rising, it keeps it... in check, so to speak," Davina replied smiling as she scurried over to Hellibore who was still rather traumatised by the fact that he was almost drank. Eaten – understandable, but drank?

"I think it best we all get some rest for the remainder of the night, Chief Wizard try to sleep – you will be quite safe and I shall arrange for you to stay at Pentangles until your castle is fixed. Davina would you be able to take Constance to her room, and stay with her please – the moon is full. I shall go and find Imogen; she will help me dismiss the remaining students from their lessons and we shall call an assembly before the nights out. If that's all, ladies, gentleman, have a pleasant night's rest – I shall see you all in the morning, and Davina, you will be alright?"

Davina nodded and smiled at Constance who was now bowing her head to the ground with shame.

"Come along now, dear, let's get you changed and sleeping."

Constance left without another word; Amelia only hoped that morning came quickly.

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_**#if tomorrow never comes, would she kill Egbert in his sleep... put us out our misery... he's just too boring for me, if tomorrow never comes...# *hides mike behind back* what... I like to sing after my stories! Maybe... *cue shifty eyes* anyhoo, I'm hopping off to bed with extra blankets since my house is about 100 C and I'm freezling... so yeps, as usual, feel free to review... it's free... anyone can do it... just press the little button... I can't hear you through the screen... go on... :) - can't say no to that face... ^_^**_

_**BMF! *Fairy out!***_


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